Madrid-based architecture studio Amann-Canovas-Maruri designed the Spanish Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai, featuring a series of conical volumes that allow an increased airflow for cooling.
The 6,000m2 pavilion is based around a large square on which several large domes have been erected, acting as multi-purpose spaces, allowing visitors to explore, rest, read, and congregate.
These domes will be constructed using recyclable materials such as wood, iron, and fabric, in addition to referencing traditional insulation techniques in combination with innovative solutions.
The exhibition area is designed as a “basement space” and will employ similar qualities of being underground including thermal and acoustic insulation. Both the open public spaces and the exhibition area are connected via a large ‘waiting space’ that will offer entertainment.
Set in the wider Sustainability Distract, the Spanish Pavilion focuses on “sustainability in a holistic way”, sharing technological and practical innovations and new models for social, productive, and economic organisation that will aid in solving global issues.
The Pavilion explores – and is inspired by – Spain’s Hispanic-Arab past and the contributions the Arab community made to the country’s scientific and technical expertise during the period of Islamic rule from 711-1492 – described as the ‘Golden Age’ of religious and ethnic tolerance between the three Abrahamic religions.
Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) is the organiser behind the Spanish Pavilion and the open architecture competition to design the pavilion.
“Under the motto ‘People and places,’ the project has been especially valued for its iconic strength, its sustainability criteria and a design based on the idea of total recycling of its materials,” AC/E said of the winning proposal.
You can also read Middle East Architect’s round-up of the latest pavilions revealed for Expo 2020 Dubai.
